Pianos are creatures of humidity. I’m constantly talking to my customers about humidity, and it’s one of the biggest factors in tuning, regulation, and piano lifespan. It’s difficult to overstate the importance. Because the piano is largely wood, changes in relative humidity change wood moisture content, which changes dimensions and therefore regulation/tuning stability. Here in … Read more
Yamaha P-71: No Sound After a Spill The customer initially reported spilling water in the keyboard. However, on inspection, the substance was oily. It had also wicked into the keyboard contacts and speakers. The most damaged component—and the reason the keyboard made no sound at all—was the volume slider. I removed the original and soldered … Read more
Yamaha P-121 with Key that Doesn’t Play Two of the most common issues I encounter are keys that either don’t play at all, or play at full volume. Contact issues are, invariably, the cause. There are two parts involved in making proper contact: The rubber contact strips, which move and compress as the key moves, … Read more
In my Disklavier Upgrades guide article, I make reference several times to DKC-850 conversion cables. These are the cables you use to connect your older Yamaha Disklavier to a newer DKC-850 control unit (or a DKC‑800 converted to act like a DKC‑850). The original conversion cables were provided by Yamaha as part of the DKC-850 … Read more
Why install a Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver (PLS) system? Pianos are very sensitive to humidity. Even fairly small fluctuations can reduce tuning stability and shorten instrument life. Extreme swings can be catastrophic. I have a full guide on ideal humidity ranges, impact of humidity, and solutions here. Dampp-Chaser systems protect the piano directly, assisting with … Read more
Over a century ago, famous artists played on specialized instruments from Ampico designed to capture their work. Today, you can download those very same performances as MIDI files available for download! Your very own Disklavier can reproduce those century-old performances. What once were marks made by a nearly-extinct technology on chemical paper can now be … Read more
Customers regularly ask me which is the best humidifier for their piano and music room. Pianos are creatures of humidity: Wood is hygroscopic, meaning it naturally absorbs and releases moisture from the air depending on the humidity level. Controlling that relative humidity in and around your piano is the one of the most important aspects … Read more
As an authorized Yamaha Service Center, I’m often asked how to connect Disklaviers to the local network. I believe this updated approach is quite simple, inexpensive, and will allow for higher connection speeds as Yamaha’s technology advances. This is the approach I trust in my customers’ homes. Previously, I used Powerline adapters to connect Disklaviers. … Read more
Pianos have wood and metal inside of them, and both react to relative humidity in different ways. Wood is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs and releases moisture from the surrounding air. This causes the wood to expand in humid air and shrink in dry air. Metal can rust and corrode if the humidity gets too high, … Read more
Have you recently received an email offering a free, high-quality piano to you, a “passionate instrument lover”? I periodically receive emails from customers asking me for guidance after receiving similar emails. See the email below for an example: GreetingsI am offering my late husband’s Yamaha Piano to anyone passionate about musical instruments. Please inform me … Read more